1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle chassis and more particularly to sub-frame, or cradle, assemblies.
2. Related Art
Vehicles with a unibody design typically include a body and frame which are connected together as a single unit (hereinafter referred to as a “unibody”) and serve as the main structure or chassis of the vehicle and to which all other components are attached. Often, one or more sub-frames, or carrier assemblies, are attached to the unibody to support different vehicular components including, among other things, a pair of suspension assemblies, an engine, a transmission, a differential, etc.
One known type of sub-frame assembly for a vehicle with a unibody design is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, this sub-frame assembly includes a pair of longitudinal members, each of which extends through an arcuate shape and a cross-member which extends between and interconnects the longitudinal members. The cross-member of this sub-frame assembly is attached approximately at the longitudinal midpoints of the longitudinal members. As also shown, each end of each of the longitudinal members has a body mount for attachment to the vehicle's unibody. The cross-member does not include any body mounts, and thus, this type of sub-frame assembly includes a total of four body mounts, and those body mounts are arranged in a generally rectangular pattern. Other known carrier assemblies have more than four body mounts.